A Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) is a type of passenger vehicle which combines the load-hauling and passenger-carrying capacity of a large station wagon or minivan with features designed for off-road driving. They have been the hot car to own for the past 10 years, but lately they are regarded as gas guzzler and substantially dangerous because of high potential to roll over.
The last model in the new G-Class to be announced is the G65 AMG - the most powerful and the most expensive model in the line-up. The new G65 AMG features an AMG 6.0-liter V12 biturbo engine that delivers an impressive 612 HP, but is also one of the most expensive models currently available on the market. It is priced at 264,180 euro, or about $346,000 at the current exchange rates.
The new Mercedes G65 AMG will be distinguished by its high-gloss chrome radiator grille and new set of 20"AMG five-spoke light alloy wheels painted in titanium grey with a high-sheen finish. On the interior, Mercedes added designo leather exclusive upholstery and a leather instrument panel trim. A unique feature is the distinctive V12 diamond design of the seats and the numerous V12 badges.
UPDATE 04/19/2012: This review has been updated with the official details and images of the Mercedes G65 AMG.
Hit the jump to read more about the new Mercedes G65 AMG.
We have all had bad experiences at car dealerships and car repair shops. Heck, being a former service manager, I have had to attempt to repair these bad situations at times. Typically, when customer service turns sour, you simply express your anger, go home, call the corporate office, and eventually get a resolution. Well, apparently this is not the way the customer service flowchart goes in some countries.
In a Nissan and Suzuki dealership in what looks to be Russia, if I am seeing the sign correctly, a customer decides to take part in creating his own resolution for a customer service issue.
According to the story that we read, this customer took his Suzuki SUV, which he bought new, back to the dealership to have a faulty shock replaced. The dealership refused to replace the shock under warranty, which really isn’t that uncommon, and from there the customer bypassed calling customer service, and chose to take his frustrations out on the dealership, by way of ramming his Grand Vitara through the dealership’s window.
That’s not where it stops, this driver then smashes up a few brand new floor model vehicles, using his SUV as a battering ram, then eventually disappears from the screen – likely to do more damage on the other side of the dealership.
I used to have pretty nasty road rage, but mine mostly consisted of laying on my horn and flashing the occasional one-fingered salute. This guy really needs to get his anger issues under control. I hope his car insurance company is prepared to pay out to fix his now-smashed SUV, or their office may receive the same “redecorating.”
Talk about cutting off your nose to spite your face, sheesh. Check out the above video to see all of the craziness, pay close attention to the brave guy that goes knocking on this lunatic’s window at the 1:57 mark. What’s he gonna do, ask him for some Grey Poupon?
China’s ever-growing automotive market has became such a boon for a lot of automakers that concept vehicles that would otherwise be introduced in auto shows like Frankfurt or Geneva are already making their way to either Beijing or Shanghai.
For their part, Audi is bringing one of these concepts to the 2012 Beijing Auto Show: the 2013 Audi RS Q3 Concept. This concept serves as a response to some Audi drivers that just needed a little more “umph.”
The RS Q3 Concept is a fresh look at what an RS-badged Q3 crossover could look like and since Audi has just released the Q3, it appears that we won’t have to wait long to see a production model soon.
As for the concept itself, the RS Q3 Concept looks hot in its blue-and-black color scheme. As an RS model, Audi also added several RS elements to the concept’s overall look, including a black honeycomb grille, tinted headlights, a new bumper with graping air intakes, and a new set of 20" aluminum wheels. The RS Q3 is planned to borrow the same 2.5-liter engine from the Audi TT RS, so getting that little extra something should be simple for Audi lovers.
Unfortunately, the Q3 will not arrive in the U.S. until later in 2012, and the RS Q3 has yet to be mentioned in the same breath as the U.S. With the growing love for crossovers here, it may become a possibility. Also the fact that the TT RS finally made its way here greatly increases the chances of us U.S. buyers seeing the RS Q3. So let’s have a look at the upcoming RS Q3’s information, courtesy of Audi’s latest press release.
Find out more about the Audi RS Q3 Concept after the jump.
As automotive journalists, we see a lot of varying racecars and racing trucks, so only a few actually make us do a double take and think “what the…” Well, the 2011 Ford “Bronco” Trophy Truck is one of those vehicles that we just cannot walk away from.
This beast was built by Marshall Madruga in honor of the classic road-racing truck, the “Big Oly.” This off-road racing version of the “Big Oly” made its debut in 2009 at the Off-Road Expo in Pomina, CA. It also made a cameo in the Bilstein booth at SEMA, in 2009 and has been in a few magazines, including DirtSports, Off Road, and Bronco Driver.
So why is this important to you? Well, the 2011 Ford Bronco Trophy Truck has just popped up for sale on Ebay. To boot, this truck is even registered as street legal in the state of California.
So how realistic is it to drive this pickup on the road? Check out the full review to see if this is a feasible mode of transportation, or just eye candy to take to the dunes every now and again.
If there’s anything Americans love more than American cars, it’s German cars. BMW’s, Audi’s, and Mercedes’ roam the streets of the U.S. like no other European alternatives, and sports car manufacturer Porsche is right up there with the best of them. Discounting the huge 911 sales Porsche records in the U.S, sales of the Cayenne and Panamera are also extremely high with Porsche selling no less than 25,320 cars in total in 2010 in the U.S.
And with so many sales you could excuse the German brand for being a little rough around the edges when it comes to servicing, but in a recent poll conducted by the Customer Service Index 2012 of 84,000 new car owners from the past three years, results showed that customer satisfaction for Porsche was the highest of any other German brand for their service and personal care of customer cars.
In an official press release, Porsche stated that it “isn’t just constantly raising the quality and thoroughness of its repair and maintenance standards through continuous improvement processes but also optimises the call on its customers’ time to their advantage – from the making of the appointment to receipt of the vehicle to its return.”
Sure some of Porsche’s English may be off, but we can forgive them for that, however these results don’t show the full story. While Porsche is the best of the German brands, it only rates 5th in terms of luxury brands behind Lexus, Cadillac, Jaguar, and Acura.
Nevertheless, we have to commend Porsche for this achievement, as Americans are as picky with their cars as they are fanatical about them.
Let’s face it, the vast majority of production cars don’t look like the concept cars they’re based upon. Sure, various features may be carried over, but concept cars allow designers to go crazy and that’s exactly what they did when designing the original Land Rover LRX Concept.
It was so new and innovative that most people believed it would never reach production and if it did, it would undergo massive changes. To the world’s surprise, when it went into production in July 2011 as the Range Rover Evoque it looked almost identical to the stunning concept car. As a result of the car’s incredible styling and its on-road and off-road capabilities, the Evoque has received 103 awards to date from websites, magazines, and newspapers all across the globe.
But arguably the most prestigious award the Evoque has received so far was awarded at the 2012 New York Auto Show where the Evoque was crowned World Car Design of the Year for 2012. No less than 46 nominations were given for the award and the Evoque was shortlisted by five world renowned design experts along with the Citroen DS5 and Volkswagen Up!
Final deliberations were handed over to a panel of 66 automotive journalists from 25 different countries, before the Evoque was crowned the winner. And we can’t say we’re surprised, as it’s an immaculate bit of design and also created a completely new segment in the market.
Land Rover Design Director Gerry McGovern had the following to say, "We are honored that the Range Rover Evoque has been named 2012 World Design Car of the Year. This prestigious accolade recognizes the overwhelmingly positive response that we have received to the Evoque’s bold and dramatic design. It is a car that truly resonates on an emotional level."
Just a few weeks ago, we teased you about Porsche bringing its popular-in-Europe clean diesel engine to the U.S., and installing it in the Cayenne. Not only is this engine powerful, boasting 240 horsepower, 406 pound-feet of torque, and towing 7,716 pounds, but it is also economical, getting 28 mpg.
According to our colleagues over at Car and Driver, we are essentially just getting Europe’s hand-me-downs. Much like a big brother does with clothes that are too small for him, European Porsche drivers have grown out of the 3.0-liter V-6 diesel that we are just now getting and are moving into a larger engine, a full two cylinders larger that is.
Yup, Porsche will be adding in a V-8 diesel option to the Cayenne lineup in the “very near future,” according to Car and Driver’s report. It looks like the most likely and cost-effective diesel engine to offer is the Audi 4.2-liter V-8 that cranks out 346 horsepower and 590 pound-feet of torque, given Porsche and Audi are in bed under the VW umbrella. Given how well the smaller 3.0-liter diesel performs now, this engine would make the Cayenne diesel a screamer – as much as a diesel can be a screamer. It would also thrust its towing rating toward a truck-like 10,000-pound mark.
With that said, there are also rumors afloat that another VW affiliate, Bentley, may be working directly with Porsche to develop this new diesel engine.
Now, before you start getting all excited for this large diesel engine, you can forget about it. Porsche does not appear to have any plans on bringing this larger diesel engine to the U.S. This is no surprise, as the European market is easier for Porsche to distribute to, as well as the fact that Euro drivers are accustomed to buying these clean diesels than U.S. buyers are. Maybe one day the European market will outgrow this engine and we will finally get it here, but the chances are slim.
Do you remember the Volvo C70 Inscription unveiled at the 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show? Now Volvo has applied the same treatment to the XC60. The new XC60 Inscription will add an extra luxurious, personal touch to the dynamic XC capability and is now available for order, even though an official public debut won’t be made until late June at the 2012 Leipzig Auto Show.
Just like the C70, the new XC60 Inscription will be fully upholstered in fine semi-aniline quality leather and will add a charcoal headliner, special effect paint, and a new set of 20" wheels.
"Many consumers we talk to have very exclusive, individual tastes. The Inscription version is designed around their preferences, by offering the opportunity to give the XC60 a highly personal touch," says Doug Speck, Senior Vice President Marketing, Sales and Customer Service at Volvo Car Corporation.
Hit the jump to read more about the new Volvo XC60 Inscription.
The fact that illicit drugs are easily accessible to many teenagers across the world is worrying in and of itself, but the fact that everyday household products can have the same effects is quite astounding and extremely worrying. Case in point, this 17-year old Australian male who was recently arrested after being pursued by police for over two hours while under the influence of paint.
Yep, those fumes we’re sure you all are familiar with, can be used by immature people to get high, but we never imagined it could impair an individual’s perceptions this much. The driver, William John Noel Compton, attracted police attention after a white BMW X5 was stolen from a Westlake home in Brisbane, while a black BMW Z4 roadster was also taken from the same household by another group.
It’s believed that five teenagers were in the vehicle throughout the entire chase, but until the teens face court, we’ll never know just what they were thinking. Furthermore, scientific testing on how paint fumes can affect an individual are extremely limited and almost non-existent, but we wouldn’t be surprised if the driver was under a similar hit provided by marijuana and other similar illicit drugs.
If one positive can be taken out of this event, it’s the fact that much of the chase was captured by a Channel 7 media helicopter and we can show you that exact video. The lives of dozens of motorists were put in harm’s way, and after many recent deaths in Australia resulting from police chases, the pursuing cop cars were understandably cautious while following the vehicle.
Check out the video above, and please note we don’t condone this sort of behavior!
Remember back in the late-1990s when there was all of that hubbub about top-heavy SUVs and how they roll over easily? Apparently, some people really need to be reminded of how SUVs handle. We totally understand that the Nürburgring is an awesome thing, as anyone with a car, $34, a driver’s license, and a heartbeat can take their car screaming down this famed course. We also completely understand that some SUVs belong on this track, like the Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8, X6M, and so on.
That said, c’mon guys, taking an obviously stock Honda CR-V for a cruise around the ‘Ring? Are you trying to record a 20:00 time around the course to gloat about to your buddies? There comes a moment in every person’s life where you simply have to decide that the risk really isn’t worth the reward, and flying an early 2000s CR-V around the ‘Ring is one of those times.
It looks like the driver in the above video doesn’t quite grasp any of that… The first minute of the video consists of almost all high-performance vehicles, or at least modified ones. Once you get to the 1:05 mark on the video you hear a loud screeching sound of tall, skinny tires and coming around the corner sideways is a CR-V. A quick flick in the other direction to attempt to correct the spin and that’s all she wrote; over goes the CR-V into a spectacular rollover.
The CR-V then leaps over the guardrail on a single bound and sticks the landing like a pro. Keep in mind, the only reason we are so nonchalant about this horrible wreck is that according to the YouTube post, the people in the CR-V were fine, except for the fact that their mom’s gonna be mad when she sees her car.
Enjoy the video and make this a reminder, don’t race your CR-V on a track designed for racecars. It never turns out well.
